The fact and fiction of discovery

COMPILING a collection of short stories inspired by breakthroughs in modern science must have had its challenges. In the name of flowing prose, would authors gloss over the nuances of Einstein's arrival at his special theory of relativity or Denis Noble's efforts to mathematically model heart cells? Or would a nitpicky focus on the details of discovery undermine the escapist quality of fiction?

Litmus avoids these pitfalls by presenting unfettered fiction followed by commentary from scientists. So Michael Jecks's tale of a sorrowful man for whom Einstein's theories are a unique source of joy is complemented by an essay on special relativity from theoretical physicist Jim Al-Khalili, while Alison MacLeod's exquisite imagining of Noble's achievement with heart cells is examined afterward by the scientist himself.

As Noble so aptly puts it: "Fiction can capture truth that is beyond the truth itself." As these works of fiction pique your curiosity about the underlying facts, knowledge that an authoritative take is just pages away makes the dramatisations that much more delectable.

Book InformationLitmus: Short stories from modern scienceEdited by Ra Page
Comma Press
£9.99